Nov. 29, 2006
Box Score
CINCINNATI - A sizzling Xavier University squad connected on 55 percent of its shots from the field and led from start to finish Wednesday night at the Cintas Center, battling past Miami University's men's basketball team, 68-53, and dropping the Red and White to 3-4 on the season.
Xavier came out of the gates quickly to start the game and never trailed in the first half. The Musketeers, who converted their first 3-point field goals, cruised to an 18-10 lead by the 13-minute mark but would cool as Miami's defense clamped down. The RedHawks held XU to just five points over a nearly eight-minute stretch but would get no closer than four points while struggling with their own offense.
A late spurt seemingly put the Musketeers back in charge, and the RedHawks would trail by as many as 12 points with less than four minutes remaining in the half. Miami battled back behind Nathan Peavy and Michael Bramos, rallying within seven with under a minute to play, but XU bagged two late free throws to take a 35-26 edge into the half.
The theme would carry into the second half, with the Musketeers surging ahead only to see the RedHawks reel them back in. XU's lead hit a game-high 13 points to start the second half, but Miami battled back behind four straight points from Peavy and a Tim Pollitz three-point play. A 3-pointer from Bramos at 13:15 drew Miami within 45-38.
Momentum would sway back and forth over the next several minutes, as the team exchanged big plays. Trailing 52-42, Miami got two more buckets from Peavy and closed to within two possessions, 52-46, with 8:42 to play. It was as close as the RedHawks would get. Xavier erupted with the decisive run over the next two minutes, pouring in 10 unanswered points to push its lead to a new game-high at 62-46.
Doug Penno finally ended the run with a 3-point field goal, but Miami, which never found its outside shooting touch and went 2-of-20 from 3-point range, would never seriously challenge again.
Peavy, who hit 8-of-15 shots, led the RedHawks, posting his ninth career double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Pollitz added 15 points, shooting 7-of-10 from the floor, while Bramos chipped in 11.
Stanley Burrell and Drew Lavender chipped in 15 and 13 points, respectively, to lead the Muskies. Xavier's 68 points were the most allowed by Miami this season.
The RedHawks, who were playing their fifth game in 13 days, are off until Tuesday, Nov. 5 when they travel to Missouri Valley Conference foe Illinois State.
